Katherine and Ben met while on college spring break but once they began dating nearly a year later, they knew their love was the real deal. Fast forward six years to a whirlwind proposal in Napa and these two kicked off the road to becoming husband and wife. They brought on Simply Sarah to capture an engagement session set in historic Charleston and we've got the entire gallery filled with one love-kissed image after another.

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From the couple...

Katherine's version

Ben and I met in college while attending UGA seven years ago on spring break actually. I'll never forget the first time I saw him. Right away, I wanted to know more about this cute and hilarious boy sitting across the room from me. When we got back to school we kept running into each other all over campus. Fast forward a year later and we're dating and within just a few months he became the man I could never imagine my life without. He's my best friend, my biggest supporter, and the greatest love I could have ever hoped for. He always waiting with a smile and open arms when I walk into the door at the end of the day and it's the best feeling in the world when he holds me like he hasn't just seen me that morning! His kindness, devotion to our relationship, and fun spirited nature are only at the surface of the reasons why I love him. One my very favorite parts of our relationship is how we laugh together... I don't think we go a day or even an hour without laughing and sometimes it's things no one else would ever think were funny. But most importantly we've grown together so much these past six years and have built a foundation that I'm so excited to turn into a marriage!

Ben's version

Where to begin…I would say our love story starts with her smile. That’s what drew me in. Little did I know that smile was going to turn into my wife. I would see that smile from across the room and couldn’t help to smile back at her, knowing in my head one day she’s going to be all mine! Fast forward to six years later and being engaged…I know it is all cliché to call her my best friend, but there is no one in my life that comes close to the bond we have between each other. Every day I look forward to her coming home from work. As soon as she walks in we smile at each other and hug for about 4mins and then get in our comfy clothes and relax. Besides the fact that when I am with her I feel at home no matter where we are, there are many other reasons why I love Katherine. I’ve always wanted a big family and at the head of every family is a strong, caring, loving, nurturing amazing mom. After being with Katherine for six years I have seen all of these characteristics. I tell her all the time she is going to be the best mom and I can't wait to raise our family together. Katherine has always challenged me to be my best and make everyday count. It's wonderful to look back and see how we have grown together. We both know that marriage is not easy and it takes more than love to make it, especially nowadays. However, her grandparents were married 63yrs and we always talk about that’s what we want.

The Proposal

We had planned a week long vacation to San Francisco and Napa back in August. After spending the first part of the week in San Fran we were so excited to get to Napa to drink some wine and feel the sunshine. When Mark Twain said “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” he wasn’t kidding! We decided to start our first-day wine tasting with one of the vineyards we were most excited about, Robert Sinskey Vineyards. After tasting several yummy wines we went on a tour of the vineyard. Ben still hadn't decided where he was going to propose at this point, he hadn't seen the vineyard, and none of the staff knew what he had planned... needless to say he was pretty anxious!

First, we went to the gardens, then around back and underneath the building into the wine cellars. He eventually signaled to the tour guide that he had a ring while I was taking pictures and the guide IMMEDIATELY started getting nervous. I picked up on this but wasn't sure what was going on and Ben was just nervous he was going to blow it. We finished the tour on the terrace overlooking the vineyard. Ben asked the guide to take our picture and whispered to him to take as many pictures as possible. I put my arm around him and hand on my hip smiling like a fool and then he grabbed both of my hands and put them on his chest and asked if I felt how fast his heart was beating. I was so confused.

Then he said, "Katherine Marie Fatheree, I've wanted to ask you this for a long time..." It hit me what was about to happen and I've never been more excited, surprised, or overwhelmed in my entire life. I started bawling and wrapped my arms around his neck and after five minutes he said well are you going to say yes and do you want to put on the ring? Which was an obvious YES!

Afterwards, we had the whole patio to ourselves to call our family and friends and tell them we were engaged! We continued the day with our vineyard tours on cloud nine!